


One Returned Call

by akh



Category: Battlestar Galactica (2003)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-29
Updated: 2015-12-29
Packaged: 2018-05-10 06:26:24
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 5,724
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5574400
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/akh/pseuds/akh
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Bill, Laura, and an old wound that just doesn't seem to heal. Modern AU.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Of all the calls he might have missed, it had to be hers.

As Bill walks down the road, going through his voicemail, he comes to a halt as he recognizes the unmistakable cadence of Laura’s voice:

_“Bill, it’s me.”_ Even now, after all this time, he can feel his treacherous heart begin to flutter. _“I know we haven't talked in...ages, but I was wondering if you’d like to meet, after all these years…”_

It's a voice he hasn't heard since the day he found her in bed with his then roommate, Richard Adar.

Bill knows he should just delete the message, but he has always been a glutton for punishment. Instead of doing what he should, he finds himself dialing her number.

*

When Laura answers the call, she seems quite surprised to actually hear back from him. Embarrassed, too.

“I’d had way too much wine before I made that call,” she mumbles into the phone, and Bill wonders if she already regrets contacting him at all.

“We don’t have to meet if you’d actually rather not, now that you’ve thought about it,” he offers her an out, and perhaps for himself as well.

“You mean now that I’m sober?” she asks sardonically, and Bill can picture her face so clearly as she speaks, as if no time has passed at all.

There’s a pause in their conversation and then Laura continues: “I’ll be in town next week, so…”

Bill can tell she’s trying to give him an out, too. It would be so easy to tell her he can’t make it. That he’ll be in Alaska next week, or the moon - anywhere but here - but instead he tells her he would like to see her again.

*

The café where they agree to meet is bustling with people when Bill enters, but he spots Laura almost immediately, looking exactly like she did the last time he saw her, only with more clothes on and without Richard Adar between her thighs. The memory is almost enough to make Bill turn on his heel, but then Laura looks up, spots him by the door and smiles, and Bill finds himself lost in her again.

“You came,” she says, when he takes a seat opposite her.

“So did you,” he replies, sounding more sullen than he had intended, the unbidden image of their last encounter still lingering in his mind.

She looks sheepish, perhaps guessing where Bill’s thoughts are at, and looks down at her coffee.

“It’s good to see you,” she says at last. “I’ve missed you.”

Bill could say he has missed her too. It would not be a lie. But he can’t bring himself to say it.

“How’s Richard?” he asks instead, the name still bitter on his lips. Bill had lost both a girlfriend and a friend that day.

“Bill…” Laura starts, but pauses and looks down; the swirls of cream in her coffee apparently catching he attention again.

“Why, Laura?” Bill presses her, unable to stop himself now that he has started. It's a question that has plagued him for a long time. Too long.

“I haven’t seen Richard in years,” Laura sighs, choosing to answer only the first part of his first question, but it’s not enough for Bill.

“Why, Laura?” he repeats, his voice rising slightly.

She looks at him and leans back in her chair, suddenly looking very tired.

“I don’t know, Bill, is that good enough?” she counters, sounding resigned. “Don’t you think I’ve been asking myself the same question?” she adds, leaning forward again.

No, it’s not something Bill has thought of. He has been too busy living with a broken heart.

“Was it something I did? Or said?” he tries again.

Laura smiles ruefully before shaking her head. “No, never,” she replies. “I lov…”

“No,” Bill interrupts her. “Don’t say that. You don’t get to say that.”

She closes her mouth, her eyes cast down.

“Maybe this was a mistake,” she sighs, and Bill is inclined to agree. But he still has more questions.

“Was he better than me?” he asks. It's another question that has been on his mind too long for him to hold back now.

When Laura looks at him, Bill can see she is blinking away tears and he wishes the sight could give him pleasure after all this time, and after everything that has happened, but it doesn’t.

“No, Bill,” she replies, a slight tremor in her voice. “How could he have been?”

 

*

When Bill walks out of the café, he feels shaken. If he had hoped to find closure in meeting Laura again, he has failed miserably. All he has managed is to tear open the old wounds that he had spent years trying to stitch up.

There have been many women in his life since Laura, but no one else has ever mattered. He has never loved anyone else, and he doubts that he ever will.

*

Bill can hear her footsteps behind him, hurrying to catch up, but he doesn’t turn or stop before she actually calls out his name.

“Did you forget something?” he asks irritably and she stops, still a few steps from him.

“I just wanted to say I’m sorry,” she says. “So sorry.”

Bill sighs, and he can almost feel his resolve breaking as he looks at Laura. His Laura, he had thought once, but he had been wrong.

“I’m sorry too,” he says at last and turns to walk away.


	2. Chapter 2

Two days and several drinks later, Bill finds himself in the part of town he has studiously avoided for over five years. The building where he used to rent a flat with Richard looks much the same as it ever did, at least on the outside. Two blocks down, he finds Laura’s old condo equally unchanged.

Even the small park where they used to spend countless of hours together, walking, talking, reading, holding hands, and being obnoxiously happy, is still there across the street.

Unable to stop himself, Bill crosses the street and enters the park, only to find the cherry trees in full blossom, just like they had been the last time he was there with Laura. It’s almost as if everything around him is mocking him now. And of course the bench that had always been theirs is now occupied.

Bill begins to mutter a curse under his breath as he’s about to turn away, but he stops short when he realizes the woman sitting on the bench is Laura.

He knows he should continue turning and leave, but the alcohol still coursing through his veins clearly isn’t helping him to make the right decisions. He has come here to wallow in his misery, so why not just as well let himself drown in it?

When he approaches the bench, Laura looks up and the surprise on her face is evident when she sees him.

“Bill,” she breathes, and he can feel his heart contract in his chest when the surprise melts into a smile.

“Laura,” he rasps, and can immediately see her face cloud over again.

“You’re drunk,” she observes, but still shuffles on the bench to make room for him. He sits down heavily.

“A little,” he admits, taking the flask out of his pocket and offering it to her. Laura takes a generous gulp and then makes a face as the strong liquid burns down her throat.

“God that’s awful,” she coughs as she hands the flask back to Bill.

He just nods before taking a swig himself. They sit in silence for a while.

Bill still wants to ask her why, but it seems pointless now, so instead he says nothing.

Finally it’s Laura who speaks up.

“Remember when we used to sit under that tree and read?” she asks, pointing at the large cherry tree closest to their bench. As if Bill could ever forget.

“If I remember correctly, I did most of the reading and you did most of the listening,” he replies, feeling a warmth he knows isn’t coming from the liquor. Her head had rested on his lap and his fingers had played in her hair as they lay in the grass, the book just an excuse to spend those idle hours together.

“I loved listening to your voice,” Laura sighs, and when Bill turns to look at her, he can see a wistful smile on her lips.

_“I loved you,”_ he wants to say. _“I still love you.”_ But he stops himself, taking another sip from his flask to flush down the thought.

“I loved reading to you,” he says instead.

They fall into another silence.

“I got a job offer here,” Laura says at last, her eyes still on the tree they have been reminiscing about. “If I take it…I’d be living in this town again.”

Bill can feel his heart beat a little faster, and he’s not sure if it’s in horror or joy. It’s one thing to still love Laura, knowing she’s hundreds of miles away, and another thing to love her, knowing he might bump into her at any time. It's a danger he's not sure he's ready to face.

“Is it a good job?” he asks.

“It is pretty good,” she replies thoughtfully. “If I stay where I am now, I might also get a promotion soon, but…” she trails off, and Bill understands that the ball is in his court. She could take the job or leave it. Career-wise it’s a good opportunity, but it’s not life changing. What she’s really asking is how he would feel about her returning. She’s asking if there might still be a chance for the two of them.

Bill can only wish he knew the answer.

“When do you have to decide?” he asks.

“By tomorrow,” Laura replies, turning to look at Bill again. “If I don’t take the job,” she continues, “If I decide to keep my current position and wait for my promotion there, I might never come back here.”

“I see,” Bill says flatly. He looks at Laura and can see their past relationship flash before his eyes; the good, the bad, and the ugly. And he can see her, in the present moment, expectant and hopeful, but mostly apprehensive.

It would be so easy to say no. It should be so easy to say no and tell her to go back where she came from, but he has felt empty inside for years, and he is tired of it. She fills him like nobody else ever has. Even when it's with agony.

“They say change is good,” he says at last. He waits a beat and then adds: “And you don’t know how long you’d have to wait for that promotion in your old job.”

“Could be years,” she points out helpfully, sounding more hopeful than before.

“Well, that should make it simple then,” Bill replies. As if anything between them could ever be simple again.

“So…” Laura begins and then pauses, studying his face carefully. “You think I should take the job?”

Bill sighs. He is a fool. Always has been, always will be. “If you’d like to, I think you should,” he says at last.

When Laura smiles at him, Bill finds himself smiling back, and when she leans her head to rest on his shoulder, he lets her. He might not be ready to forgive her yet, but he’s not ready to let go of her either.


	3. Chapter 3

Three weeks later, Laura is moving in to her new apartment, and Bill is there carrying boxes for her. It hadn’t been his intention, of course, to involve himself with the process of her settling in, but when she had mentioned she hardly knew anyone in the area anymore, what else was he to do?

“I guess that’s the last one,” Bill grunts as he sets down one more box in the kitchen.

“It is,” Laura pipes from the next room. A moment later she appears through the doorway.

She’s wearing a pair of old jeans and a threadbare t-shirt (Bill tries not to think if it’s one he recognizes), her hair tied up in a haphazard bun that leaves several strands loose, and in that moment Bill wants nothing more than to pull her into his arms and pretend they still are who they once were.

Instead, he sits down on one of the sturdier boxes and wipes his brow. It’s a hot day, and Laura’s appearance isn’t helping.

“Thank you so much for your help,” she says as she walks over, placing a hand on Bill’s shoulder and giving it a slight squeeze. It’s nothing more than a friendly gesture, but it still gives Bill a slight jolt.

“Don’t mention it,” he replies curtly.

*

They don’t see each other often, for the next few months, and Bill is just starting to think they might be able to safely co-exist in the same town without colliding when he one day stumbles across the one thing he has been most afraid of witnessing: the sight of Laura out with another man. And not just any man, but a particularly good looking one: tall, dark, handsome, and younger than either one of them.

She has every right to it this time, of course, being single and decidedly rejected by Bill, but it doesn’t make it any easier for him to look at.

*

When Bill runs into Laura a few weeks later in a bookstore, he considers hiding behind one of the shelves, but after some hesitation he walks up to her with a book in hand.

“If you still like mysteries,” he says by way of a greeting, handing the book to her.

She smiles as she takes the book from him.

“Blood Runs at Midnight?,” she reads the title and turns to look at Bill with a raised eyebrow.

“Don’t let the title fool you,” he replies. “It’s a pretty good mystery. I think you’ll like it.”

“Then I’ll definitely take it,” she replies, adding it to the pile she has already gathered. Bill wonders if the new man in her life likes to read to her too.

“I haven’t seen you in a while,” Laura continues as her eyes scan the other titles in the mystery section. “Busy?” she turns to look at Bill.

“Yeah, busy,” Bill drawls.

“Any plans for Christmas?”

Bill hesitates. He has no plans, but the last thing he wants is to be invited to spend the day with Laura and her boyfriend.

The silence seems to be answer enough, though, as Laura crunches her nose and offers him a little grin. “Me neither,” she says. Then, leaning forward, she adds conspiratiorally: “That’s why I’m hoarding all these books.”

“Need some company for reading them?” The question is out of Bill’s mouth before he can pause to consider.

Laura tilts her head and smiles, a slow smile that lights up her face as it grows.

“I always liked reading with you,” she replies, and Bill knows he’s in great danger of falling (not in love, because he already is, but falling nonetheless).

He smiles back at her.


	4. Chapter 4

On Christmas Day, Bill arrives at Laura’s doorstep with a book in one hand and a bottle of wine in another. She opens the door with a smile on her face and a touch of gravy on her cheek.

It’s not a sight Bill has prepared himself for. Instinctively, he hands his gifts over to Laura and then reaches out to stroke the spot on her face.

“You’ve got something,” he tells her, his thumb gently erasing the gravy, lingering on the soft skin of her cheek just a touch longer than necessary.

“Thanks,” she murmurs, leaning almost imperceptibly to his touch.

When Bill lets his hand fall, their eyes remain locked, and he clears his throat just to fill the silence.

“Smells good,” Bill finally observes, glancing past Laura in the direction of the kitchen.

“Oh, it should be ready soon,” Laura replies, springing back into action, their moment gone. “Get in and make yourself comfortable,” she tells him, sprinting back towards the kitchen.

*

Still a little uncertain of his place, Bill steps into the living room, looking around for any signs of another man occupying the space, if not in person, then with his belongings, but everything he sees is all Laura. Relaxing a little, he sits down on the couch and picks up a book off the table. It’s the one he had recommended to her.

“Blood Runs at Midnight.” Bill suddenly hears Laura’s voice from behind his back and he jumps at her unexpected arrival. He had not heard her return.

“You were right,” she says, ignoring his sudden jolt and setting down the wine and the two glasses she has brought with her. “It is a good mystery. Wine?” She holds up the bottle.

Bill nods and Laura pours them both a generous helping before sitting down next to him.

*

The dinner is delicious. Laura has never been a bad cook, but she seems to have honed her skills even further during their long separation. When Bill compliments her on it, she blushes with pleasure and thanks him.

They mostly talk of nothing important. The weather (both are hoping for snow), the latest politics (until they remember that Richard Adar is now running for an office), and books they have read or are intending to read. Apart from the brief hiccup of nearly stumbling into a topic involving Richard, it’s a perfectly pleasant evening.

By the time they’re clearing the table, Bill’s head is buzzing from the wine, and the small kitchen makes it nearly impossible for the both of them to move about without occasionally bumping against each other. After a while, they don’t really even try.

More than once Bill’s hands surreptitiously graze Laura’s hips as they pass one another, and each time they linger there just a little longer until, at last, when the table is cleared, he doesn’t let go at all.

“Bill?” He can see the question written on her face as she turns to face him.

“Dance with me?” he says simply, his voice suddenly thick with repressed emotion.

Instead of pointing out the obvious, that they’re standing in the kitchen and there’s no music to dance to, Laura only nods her head and wraps her arms loosely around his neck.

“Like this?” she asks as they begin to sway in unision.

“Yeah,” Bill rasps, holding her a little tighter.

He feels an almost overwhelming urge to kiss her then, but a stubborn part of him still tells him to hold back. Instead, he releases a sigh and leans forward until their foreheads touch.

*

They spend the rest of the evening on the couch, reading. At first they do it in silence, separately, but before too long they fall back into their old habit of Bill reading out loud while Laura‘s head rests on the arm of the couch.

Bill continues to read until he can hear Laura’s breathing grow heavy and even, a tell-tale sign of her having fallen asleep. For a moment he watches her in silence, commiting to memory the sight of her like this, relaxed and content; a little older than the last time he’s seen her asleep, but still just as beautiful. Perhaps even more so. Then, before it all becomes too overwhelming, he gets up and goes to look for a blanket.

It’s not snooping, he tells himself as he enters her bedroom, when he’s looking for a specific item, but Bill still feels like an intruder when he allows his gaze to briefly sweep the room. Here, too, there is no sign of anyone but Laura having stayed in the room. (He can tell because he remembers the melange of his own items and hers, back when he used to spend nights in her old apartment.)

Getting rid of the thought, Bill grabs the first blanket he sees and returns to Laura, spreading the fabric tenderly over her sleeping form.

“Good night, Laura,” he whispers, his lips briefly grazing her hair. “Merry Christmas.”

She murnurs something unintelligible in return and then falls right back into her slumber. Leaving her to sleep, Bill lets him himself out and proceeds to walk slowly through the deserted streets all the way to his own, empty apartment.


	5. Chapter 5

Laura calls Bill on New Year’s Eve.

“I know it’s last minute,” she says, “but would you like to come with me tonight to watch the fireworks?”

Bill wonders if she’s waited until the last minute just to give him a decent excuse to say no if he so chooses, and he wonders if in doing so she’s hoping to spare him or herself.

Things never used to be so complicated between them. Now, even though they’re slowly inching closer to each other again, every interaction still seems to require careful navigation.

Bill realizes he’s stayed silent too long and clears his throat. “Yes,” he says, and can hear Laura release a breath. “I’d love to come,” he affirms.

*

They meet at he town square. The snow they’d been hoping for Christmas has arrived for the New Year, and everything looks a little brighter for it, including Laura’s eyes. They are a sparkling shade of green as she smiles at Bill when they greet each other.

“I’m glad you could make it,” she tells him, and Bill shrugs.

“Where else would I be?”

Laura studies him silently for a moment. “You don’t have anyone else in your life right now?” she asks at last. Despite the lightness of her tone, Bill thinks he can discern some weight in the question.

“No,” he replies simply. “You?” Before Laura can reply, he decides to go all in. “I thought I saw you with someone a while ago. A tall guy, dark hair.” Bill, too, tries to keep his tone light, but he knows he’s failing at it.

For a moment, Laura looks surprised. “Oh?” she asks. Then, some kind of a realization seems to dawn on her and she chuckles. “Oh. Maybe you mean Sean?”

“Sean?” Bill asks. He has never liked the name Sean.

“We’re not…” Laura says, shaking her head and pressing her hand to her mouth to stop another giggle from erupting. “We were set up on a blind date and…no,” she shakes her hear vigorously. “I think I actually used to babysit him once!”

As Bill watches Laura, he can feel his own doubts melting in the face of her merriment.

*

By the time the fireworks actually start, both are feeling quite cold. When Laura leans closer to Bill, he wraps his arm protectively around her and gives her a little rub.

Shared heat, he tells himself, as he pulls her even more tightly against him.

Bill has never cared much for fireworks. As a boy, he used to have a dog that was scared of the noise they made, and so he never went out to watch the displays. But now, standing in the town square with Laura’s warm body pressed against his, he can feel the magic of the moment.

It’s almost enough to forget everything that has happened before. Almost.

When the countdown to the new year starts, Laura suddenly shifts in his arms, and in an instant Bill remembers the danger he has completely overlooked, lost as he has been in the pleasure of simply standing there with Laura.

This is the part where they are supposed to kiss. The last time they were hailing a new year in together, they would already have been making out.

“3…2…1!”

The crowd around them erupts into loud cheers as the fireworks reach their crescendo. Somewhere in the distance there are bells ringing, but Bill can barely discern anything in the cacophony of different noises. He is looking at Laura and she is looking at him, and then his lips are on hers and the rest of the world ceases to exist.


	6. Chapter 6

The next time Bill sees Laura, it’s to have dinner at one of his favorite restaurants.

It’s not a date, Bill tells himself, but after New Year’s it’s clear they need to talk. Otherwise they’ll be in trouble soon.

The problem, as Bill sees it, is that no matter what he still feels towards Laura, he can’t forget the past.

When Laura arrives and takes a seat opposite Bill, she seems to understand that this evening is not about idle chit chat. They have come a long way already, but as Bill watches Laura fidget nervously in her seat, he wonders if they’ve come far enough.

*

“You regret it, don’t you?” Laura asks as soon they’ve made their orders. “Kissing me on New Year’s.”

“No,” Bill replies simply. He regrets many things, but not that.

“But you’re not happy,” Laura infers, and Bill can’t deny it. He looks at her and then, slowly, shakes his head.

“You broke my heart, Laura,” he tells her plainly. For the past few times they have met, they have been actively avoiding any topics that might open old wounds, but while it has made for easier encounters, Bill knows it has only served to bury their problems deeper. It’s not going to work forever.

Laura’s eyes bore into his and she smiles ruefully. “I know,” she says, her voice tinged with regret. “If I could change that I would.”

Bill nods. Neither of them can change the past. The question that remains is what they can do about the future.

Laura looks down at her hands, barely registering Bill’s silent acquiescence as she continues: “You know, I tried to call you so many times, right after you left.”

“I know,” Bill replies. He has not forgotten how hard it was to ignore those calls, clinging to a hope that maybe, if he answered, she could somehow explain everything and it would all turn out to be a terrible misunderstanding. But he knew what he had seen, and there were no words that could have fixed it.

“What would you have said if I had answered?” he asks at last, out of curiosity.

“Begged for your forgiveness,” Laura tells him flatly. “Told you that it meant nothing and that it would never happen again.”

Bill nods. Knowing himself, if he had taken even one her calls at the time, he might have caved. He might have clung to her like a dying man to his salvation, choosing to pretend that nothing had changed. They might have stayed together, for a while, but their relationship would forever have been damaged by it.

“I’m glad I didn’t answer those calls,” he says at last. If he had, they wouldn’t be here now. They would have lost their chance at reconciliation through growth rather than the desperate need of youth.

“Me too,” Laura says, and Bill knows she understands. He reaches for her hand across the table and gives it a slight squeeze.

“So what now?” she asks as Bill’s thumb rubs circles on her palm. He can feel her shiver under his touch.

“Do you think you’ll ever be able to forgive me?” she continues when he remains silent.

Bill’s thumb pauses on Laura’s skin and he looks up to meet her eyes.

“It’s not just about forgiveness,” he says at last. “It’s about trust.” He pauses when Laura looks down, and patiently waits for her to look him in the eye again. He is not going to have this conversation with Laura’s down-turned face.

When she looks up again, Bill continues: “We can’t be together if, whenever I see you with another man, I’m going to start wondering if you’re sleeping with him or if, whenever I come home, I have to prepare myself for the possibility of finding you in bed with someone else.”

Bill knows his words sound harsh, and he’s not surprised when Laura pulls her hand away when he’s finished, but he also knows they can’t afford to beat around the bush now. They have to come to terms with what happened before they can start even considering a possible future.

“Is that what you really think of me?” Laura asks, her voice uncharacteristically soft. “Because if it is, I might as well leave now.”

Bill sighs. It’s not what he truly thinks of her, not after getting to know her again, but it doesn’t mean he still doesn’t get those thoughts, from time to time.

“It’s not that simple,” he replies.

Laura’s smile is tinted with sadness when she looks at Bill. “Then I can’t help you,” she sighs. “I can tell you I have no wish to be with anyone else, and that I’m not as young and foolish as I was when we were first together, but none of that matters if you can’t take my word for it.”

She gets up to leave, but Bill grabs her hand, stopping her before she can reach for her coat.

“Bill…”

“Don’t go,” he pleads.

Laura shakes her head. “I love you,” she says as she pulls her hand free, “And I never want to hurt you again, but only you can decide if that’s enough.”

Bill opens his mouth to speak, but Laura interrupts him: “You haven’t made that decision yet, and I’m not asking you to do that tonight.”

She gives Bill one more look and he can see the moisture in her eyes as she reaches for her coat again. Just as she’s about to leave, she turns back to add: “You know where to find me when you’ve decided.”

Bill wants to tell her he already has, but deep down, he knows she’s right.

“I love you, too,” he sighs at the empty chair.


	7. Chapter 7

The winter turns slowly into spring as Bill throws himself into work and tries not to think about Laura. Sometimes they run into each other, most often in bookshops, but they never exchange more than a few words.

“You’ll love that one,” he’ll remark, pointing at some book in her hand.

She’ll smile, but never without a hint of sadness, and say something equally trivial about whatever volume he is planning to purchase.

Once, Bill almost manages to spend a full day without thinking about Laura, until he decides to channel his frustration into clearing the drawers of his desk.

There, in the bottom drawer, beneath a layer of clutter, his eyes fall on a book he hasn’t seen in years. _Searider Falcon_. It’s the book he had been reading with Laura at the time they broke up and Bill has never been able to pick it up again since.

Now he sits down on the floor, his back against the wall, and starts reading.

*

The cherry trees are blossoming again when Bill steps into the park that he had years ago dubbed as theirs. Laura, who lives closer, is already waiting for him.

When she sees Bill, she gives him a tentative wave, and Bill raises his hand in a similar greeting. Then he walks over and wordlessly sits down next to her.

“You know how to keep a girl waiting,” Laura says, and when Bill looks at her, he can see a smile slowly dawning on her face. It suits her better than the look of melancholy she has worn every time Bill has seen her after the dinner they never had.

Perhaps she has guessed. Perhaps she knows that he wouldn’t have asked to meet her here, in this park, if he was going to tell her he never wanted to see her again.

“I needed time,” Bill replies, hoping he hasn’t already wasted too much of it.

Still smiling, Laura reaches over to pat his arm. “I know,” she tells him.

For a moment, they both remain silent.

*

“I found this the other day,” Bill says, pulling at last the old copy of _Searider Falcon_ from under his jacket. Laura’s eyes widen as she recognizes the volume.

“You still have it?” she asks, incredulous.

Bill has never been good at throwing things away, much as he had once wanted to burn this particular book, but he only nods now, opening the book where an old leather bookmark still marks the page where they left off all those years ago.

“Did you ever finish this?” he asks Laura as she looks at the slightly yellowed pages in wonder.

She shakes her head. “No, I never could.”

“When I found this a couple of weeks ago, I read the beginning again,” Bill tells her, leafing through the pages. “It was just as good as I remembered, but when I got to the part we hadn’t read yet…” he trails off and looks at Laura. The wind has blown a strand of hair on her face and Bill takes the opportunity to push it gently aside. “I realized I couldn’t read those remaining chapters without you,” he finishes, letting his hand fall.

Laura looks down at the book in Bill’s hands and then up at his face again, and Bill watches as his words start to sink in.

“You’re not just talking about the book now, are you?” she asks at last.

Bill shakes his head and slowly breaks into a smile. “No,” he admits.

Almost instantly, Bill can see Laura’s eyes light up, but he can tell she is still holding back.

“Are you sure?” she asks carefully.

“I’m sure,” he assures her, taking her hand into his. He has spent so long second-guessing, but when he looks into Laura’s eyes now, he knows that for the first time in years his heart is no longer in conflict with his head.

“Well then,” Laura replies, smiling tenderly at him when she sees the earnestness in his eyes. “I think we have a book to finish-hmm.” Her last word melts into a hum against Bill’s lips as he leans forward to kiss her like he has longed to kiss her for a very long time.

*

When they leave the park hours later, hand in hand, happiness written on both of their faces, Bill wonders absently what a difference a year can make.

He wonders the same a year later, in the same park, when Laura tells him he is about to become a father.

He doesn’t wait another year to make her his wife.

The end.


End file.
